Google's Egyptian spokeswoman has come to its defense a week before the site implements its widely criticized privacy changes. Speaking to a group of journalists, Maha Abu El-Ayeen, manager of public relations for Google in Egypt and the Middle East, said the firm's new data collection methods were aimed at providing a better, more integrated service. "It will give search results that better reflect users' interests and use their information to suggest services to suit their preferences and desires," said Abu El-Ayeen.

First for the big news, it’s not in Dubai! The online media giant Google has opened its first office in the region in Cairo, Egypt.

The branch has been set-up in to support and promote recently launched Arabic language versions of Google News, Gmail and Google Earth.